Environment

Coal in the Doldrums: Is the EPA to Blame?

In a wide ranging interview with Grist reporters Chip Giller and Scott Rosenberg on her tenure at the helm of the EPA, Lisa Jackson discusses the administration’s position on coal. It’s been accused of waging a war on it by coal supporters.

June 13, 2012 - Grist

City Officials, Homeless Advocates at Odds over Bans

Is "compassion fatigue" driving Philadelphia and other cities to adopt ordinances to crack down on the homeless? Homeless advocates contend that these measures are counterproductive, as they force the homeless into criminal means of getting by.

June 13, 2012 - USA Today

Rural Farming and Urban Technology Come Together with FarmHack

Benjamin Brownell finds that innovative technology and farming work well together at a FarmHack event in Vermont.

June 12, 2012 - Shareable

Latin American Cities Take Charge in Climate Change Planning

Raillan Brooks examines a new report from MIT, which shows that Latin America has a higher percentage of cities planning for climate change than other sections of the globe.

June 11, 2012 - Next American City

The Booms and Busts of North Dakota's Drilling

Oil drilling has brought abundant prosperity to North Dakota over the past few years. Nicholas Kusnetz exposes the impact of weak environmental regulation in the state.

June 10, 2012 - ProPublica

Earth at the Precipice

A new paper by a group of international scientists warns that the planet may be at the tipping point of causing a rapid irreversible transition to a "state unknown in human experience," reports Bettina Boxall

June 9, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

New Global Environmental Performance Rankings Released

The Dirt reports on findings disclosed by this year's iteration of the Yale and Columbia University produced Environmental Performance Index (EPI). A new metric unveiled this year tracks the trend in each country's environmental performance.

June 8, 2012 - THE DIRT

Will Narrow Focus Sink Plans to Clean D.C.'s Polluted Waters?

A 20-year, $2.6 billion Clean Rivers Project intended to eliminate sewage discharge into D.C. area waterways will benefit the entire region. So, Carol O’Cleireacain asks, why only stick Washington's residents with the bill?

June 4, 2012 - The Washington Post

Can CA Gov. Jerry Brown Save High Speed Rail From CEQA?

Gov. Jerry Brown is asking the state legislature to alter the state's environmental law (CEQA) in order to begin construction of the high speed rail project in the Central Valley. It is aimed at heading off lawsuits intended to delay the project.

June 4, 2012 - San Jose Mercury News

How the NC Legislature Plans to Stop the Sea From Rising

Add this one to the "This is how they spend my tax dollars?!" file. Scott Huler exposes a ploy by legislators from 20 coastal North Carolina counties to outlaw effectively measuring and predicting the potential rise in sea level.

June 4, 2012 - Scientific American Plugged In Blog

How Green Do You Want To Get?

Elizabeth Daigneau looks at the various ways in which cities and counties can earn eco-certification, including everything from "the roads they build to the vehicles that ride on them."

June 3, 2012 - Governing

Is Alienation from the Natural World Harming Our Health?

Joel Kato speaks with Richard Louv, author and founding chairman of The Children and Nature Network, about his new book and how 'nature-deficit disorder' is making us fat, sick, and depressed.

June 1, 2012 - Good

Showdown In Coal Country

The battleground is the Big Sandy coal power plant in eastern Kentucky. The owner, American Electric Power, under pressure from coal proponents, agreed to do a $1 billion retrofit rather than switching to natural gas. Victory was short-lived.

May 31, 2012 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

L.A. Moves to Harness to Its Bountiful Sunshine

Carren Jao reports on recent steps the City of Los Angeles is taking to expand is woefully under-built solar power capacity.

May 30, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Why Car Sharing Won't Reduce Emissions

A new study by the RAND corporation highlights the various benefits of expanding car-sharing nationwide. It turns out, however, that significantly reducing carbon emissions isn't one of them, writes Brad Plumer.

May 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

Arctic Drilling: From Improbable To Inevitable

Shell Oil's seven-year, $4 billion investment has paid off. Awaiting final Interior Dept. permits, two drilling ships, moored in Seattle, are poised to travel to the Arctic to begin drilling test wells in 150 ft of water off northern Alaska in July.

May 28, 2012 - The New York Times - Environment

Heat Islands May Not Be So Bad After All

Emily Badger reports on pioneering research that is looking into ways to utilize the heat trapping properties of asphalt, rather than fighting it.

May 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Geocoding the Health Impacts of Your Neighborhood

Ever wonder what effect the pollution you're exposed to in your neighborhood on a daily basis is having on your family's long-term health? The emerging field of geo-medecine is providing answers, reports Christine MacDonald.

May 24, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Bay Area Selects Controversial Compact Regional Growth Plan

At a packed, May 17 meeting in Oakland, filled with transit advocates, tea-partiers, and builders, leaders of the two regional planning agencies selected "Plan Bay Area" as the blueprint to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions 17% by 2035.

May 24, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

World Leaders Tackle Climate Change, and Nearly Everyone Missed It

No, this is not a headline out of The Onion. Apparently, leaders at last weekend's G8 Summit agreed to “the biggest step in years in tackling climate change,” as reported by Geoffrey Lean.

May 23, 2012 - Grist

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.